Generally when people shop, they write down a list of the items they wish to buy on a piece of paper (or electronically if they are using a personal digital assistant (PDA) with document editing features) and take it to the store. As the customer shops, they cross off the items on the list as they are retrieved.
However, no matter how complete the list is, the customer cannot know for sure where every single product is located in the store and whether a particular store carries a product. While customers may achieve great familiarity with the location and range of products carried by a store they frequently visit, this knowledge and skill usually has little applicability to other stores.
Although stores may provide maps showing the location of goods, the maps often contain more information than the customer needs, thus making it difficult to locate the items the customer wants. Computers are also occasionally provided, but they are typically stationary and require the user to key in the products they want. Thus, in-store computers are often too inconvenient and time consuming for many customers to use.
What is needed is a portable and easy-to-use system and method for matching a shopping list to the goods actually carried by a retail store so the customer knows what is and is not available. It would be further beneficial to present this information in a manner that enables the customer to locate the products. It would be particularly advantageous if the customer is told not only what products are available and where they are located, but also what order the products should be retrieved for maximum efficiency.